Health card for compulsory health check-up of women: Maneka Gandhi

Gandhi put the onus of ensuring the annual check-up of women on their husbands, saying it is often the negligence on their part that aggravates the condition of a woman suffering from diseases such as cancer or TB.

The Women and Child Development Ministry has proposed a “health card” for women for their compulsory health check-up on a regular basis, Union MinisterManeka Gandhi said Sunday.

“We are proposing a compulsory health card for women making five to six most vital tests compulsory,” Gandhi said during an event on the occasion of International Mother’s Day.

Gandhi put the onus of ensuring the annual check-up of women on their husbands, saying it is often the negligence on their part that aggravates the condition of a woman suffering from diseases such as cancer or TB.

“It will be the responsibility of the woman’s spouse to ensure that the tests are done and it has to be done every year. If anyone does not, many other avenues and direct transfer benefits would be stopped.

“As an MP I often see that women are brought with serious illnesses by their husband at their last stage. There are various excuses by husbands to not take her to hospital,” she said.

Women and Child Development Ministry, which Gandhi is in charge of, has proposed the measure although Health Ministry will have to work on the proposal and implement it, she said.

Apart from the health card, Gandhi also spoke about her ministry’s resolve on the issue of ensuring eight months maternity leave.

“We would like to give mothers an eight-month break. I won’t like working mothers to worry about their child suffering from cold and cough and so that they get to spend time with their children. We hope to get orders from the department of Personnel and a decision from cabinet on this soon,” she said.

Speaking briefly on the government’s flagship programme ‘Beti-Bachao, Beti-Padhao’, Gandhi stressed that it has achieved a great deal of success in providing safety and education to girls.